Tell CPUC: Don't Approve Another Dirty Gas Plant 5/26

SoCal Edison's plan to build a new natural gas plant in Oxnard(the Puente Power Project) will be on the agenda for the CPUC's May 26th meeting. There will be an opportunity to speak during public comment against the project. You can also send a letter to the CPUC asking them to oppose the Puente project! You can sign up in advance to speak at the meeting here.

CPUC staff have issued a proposed decision recommending waiting for further information before taking action on the Puente Power Project, but at least one CPUC Commissioner is pushing for the plant to be approved. This meeting will be a key opportunity to speak up against the plant, and against further expansion of dirty fossil fuel power, in a community that is already overburdened by pollution.

The proposed power plant(the Puente Power Project) for Southern California Edison would be the 4th power plant in a low income community already severely impacted by health problems from existing plants. This proposal is in response to the CPUC identifying a need for an additional 215-290 MW of new energy resources in the Moorpark area by 2021. This SCE plan proposes to meet all required future demand with this new gas plant and does not include any renewable, energy efficiency or demand response resources.

The City of Oxnard, Sierra Club & CEJA intervened calling on siting issues of flooding and environmental risks and environmental justice which is being assessed by the CEC siting approval process. The CPUC issued a proposed decision to delay the consideration of the contract until a full assessment of the EJ and env risk is completed at the CEC. This is a huge win, however the proposed decision does not require SCE to issue a new RFP to allow for clean energy solutions alternatives. It is critical that there are alternative proposals before the CEC makes a determination on siting. However, then on 2/12, CPUC Com. Peterman issued an alternate decision approving the contract, saying the CPUC does not have the discretion to delay.

Ask: We need to tell the CPUC to adopt the proposed decision to delay contract approval until the CEC siting process is complete AND require SCE to issue a new RFP to allow for new clean energy alternative proposals. Check back soon for talking points on this issue.

Speaking during public comment: You can sign up in advance here to speak during public comment at the meeting, or sign up in person the day of.

More resources: A great op ed by an Oxnard city council member on why stopping the plant is an environmental justice issue.